Any teachers in the house?

The misses is a teacher but that aside I do resent those who strike, until that is I take an open minded view of the situation. If I were in thier position and someone said "take a day unpaid and we'll see about getting you a better retirement option" Then of course I'd do it, you'd be mad no to and those who say they wouldnt are lying.

The only bitter taste left by this strike is that some kids have today lost a days education - they wont mind too much but they should lol. In addition that is that some parents have also lost a days work out of the situation, again most wont mind this either unless it means they too are unpaid.

[TamSV]

Where's the OP? After all these rants it would be quite funny if he was just after some exam revision advice.

[SoulKiss]

I support the strike for one reason only.

These people entered into contracts, which the government is now trying to change.

Any and all changes should be only valid for people starting now, not those already in service.

[Biker Biggles]

Originally Posted by TamSV

True, but the Unions counter argument is equally bogus. I heard a representative on the news making the point that public sector workers shouldn't be brought down to the level of the private sector but, rather, they would like to see private sector pensions brought up to the level of the public sector.

They must know what they're saying is utter nonsense. A retirement age of 60 and final salary pensions for all? It's unaffordable and removes too much productive capacity from the economy.

60 isn't "old" these days. Many pensioners go on to be retired longer than they worked. It's a crazy situation.

There needs to be a readjustment of our expectations of what the state should provide to all of us in retirement. Public sector workers aren't going to be immune from that.

I don't think the unions are saying that at all.Over the last few years the two major public sector pension schemes(NHS and Local Government)have both been renegotiated so the retirement age has moved from 60 to 65.I believe the same applies to other schemes too.Contributions also went up at the same time.The result was that these schemes are fully affordable well into the future,with the nhs scheme currently generating big surpluses for the government.What is actually happening today is the government is effectively imposing a stealth tax on these schemes in order to finance the national debt.
You do make a good point about people living longer though.I think this is the crux of it,but it needs to be looked at in much more detail.Our economy has changed over the last thirty years with the loss of the old heavy industries and the rise of the office based workplace.Part of the reason for our longer lives is that we don't do the heavy risky work that used to kill us so much younger and it is reasonable to expect those who benefit from that to work longer and take their pensions later.However,huge numbers of our workers still do heavy manual work.In local government think dustmen,gritters street cleaners,and in health think care assistants, porters,cleaners,paramedics,nurses.What we need is a pension debate that reflects the jobs people actually do rather than the one size fits all policy that we currently have.I notice that the current proposals to raise retirement ages does not apply to the military.There's a good and obvious reason for that,but the same rationale should apply to many others too.

[Biker Biggles]

Originally Posted by daveyrach

I have no sympathy for those on strike, at least they get a pension, yes they do hard jobs but if they don't like it change profession, I know what my boss would say if I said I was striking unless they gave me a pension. I'm 23 unless I save for a pension I ain't getting one off our tight fisted government, maybe I should refuse to pay any tax until I am guaranteed one.

Perhaps you should think about joining a union and fighting for something better for yourself and others in the same boat.The logic I get from your post is that everyone's best interest is served by dragging all down to the lowest common denominator.For a 23 year old that bodes very poorly for the future.

[TamSV]

The NHS scheme is producing a surplus, but how much of that is due to the massive increase in staff over the last decade? All those extra staff are going to retire one day and there won't be a surplus then.

Anyway, at least there has been some reform in the NHS scheme.

Retirement age inevitably needs to go up for everyone IMO. If you're in your 20's and want to retire at 60/65 or earlier, you'd better start saving.

Originally Posted by Biker Biggles

Perhaps you should think about joining a union and fighting for something better for yourself and others in the same boat.The logic I get from your post is that everyone's best interest is served by dragging all down to the lowest common denominator.For a 23 year old that bodes very poorly for the future.

Well tbh honest someone mentioned their wife is paid £22,000 per year as a teacher, get more than that working for a boiler manufacturer running the spares dept, I may only be 23 but I am married and I have 4 children, so I am not some 'lad' who thinks he knows all. At the end of the day my wife has had to take a days unpaid leave to look after the kids who can't go to school I take it the strikers are going to cover all childcare costs/lost earnings we incur??

EDIT: And I get a pension which my employer contributes towards aswell as myself so I do have a pension, also am guaranteed a pay rise yearly and bonus.

[BoltonSte]

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

Well probably 12-13 hours a day on school work. It's 11pm and she's on her interactive whiteboard software now. Why do you think I post so much on the forum? TV is rubbish and there's nobody to talk to!



Wifey is exactly the same situation, 8 til 6 is pretty normal. Being her first teaching job, we both assumed that was normal. How many hours a week do you think you work (be truthful)?

It does get easier, when the wife became an NQT she was doing 7.30 - 6ish, coming home and then carrying on until about 11. As time goes on, then the lesson plans can be recycled with tweaks so that cuts down a lot, also if the others aren't too insular then they should be able to share and rotate lesson plans to make it a bit easier (I know Nic does)

Now she does from about 8 until 4...picks our son up which means she has to switch off for a bit. Also she tries to do her marking etc... during her free's/lunch/whenever she gets a minute whilst at school so doesn't have as much to bring home.

When she started, she was told that she gets 5 weeks holiday, the rest is expected to be used for any planning etc, hence why she trys to manage her time better and it makes a hell of a difference. Her stress breaks are just that now.

She's been doing it for about 3 years now (post TA work) so is probably similar to your other half.

The only thing is, that she teaches art, which everyone knows is a dosser subject so probably doesn't have to work half as hard as the rest (there are only 2 art teachers in the school though)

Ste

[Biker Biggles]

Originally Posted by TamSV

The NHS scheme is producing a surplus, but how much of that is due to the massive increase in staff over the last decade? All those extra staff are going to retire one day and there won't be a surplus then.

Anyway, at least there has been some reform in the NHS scheme.

Retirement age inevitably needs to go up for everyone IMO. If you're in your 20's and want to retire at 60/65 or earlier, you'd better start saving.

Would you apply that to the military.We can all see the absurdity of a 65 year old squaddie scrapping with the taliban in Helmund but what about a 65 year old copper chasing down a street mugger or a 65 year old paramedic,fireman etc pulling you out of a wreck at three in the morning?Some jobs,quite a lot in fact,are not suitable for older people to continue in and the pension system needs to address that.

[TamSV]

Yes I'd apply that to everyone. If you're no longer fit to do the job, then you need to find something else to do.

If you want to stop working altogether in your 50's then you need to have made some provision for that.